Google Play Store’s app reviews are, undoubtedly, one of the key data points one looks at when deciding whether to download a new application or look for a different one. The tech giant is looking to make them a bit better — not by changing how Play Store reviews work, appear, or are submitted, but essentially by making them easier to sift through.
Even though user feedback often forms the basis of judgement, searching through it can be a pain when you’re looking for very specific information. For example, let’s say you’re looking at reviews for a photo editing app, and want to know whether it supports RAW files or not. You’d normally go through the reviews to find the word ‘RAW’ and then read it in its entirety. This tedious process of having to look for that one relevant keyword is what Google seems to be eliminating.
As highlighted by the folks over at Android Authority after digging through version 48.7.17-31 of the Google Play Store, the tech giant could be working on making Play Store reviews searchable.
<string name="0_resource_name_obfuscated_7f1411e1">Search reviews</string>
Currently, the Play Store lets you sort through reviews on the basis of stars, whether the review was positive or negative, or on the basis of ‘Review topics.’ Google could soon add a ‘Search reviews’ section to the list, as hinted in code strings found in the aforementioned build.
In addition to the code string, the same build also contains an ‘AllReviewsPage__enable_search_bar variable’ flag. While the UI couldn’t be enabled, it’s highly likely that Google is working on laying down a search field on the main reviews page.
It isn’t entirely clear if the search option will land with a subsequent Play Store update, or if it will be shelved, destined to hit Google’s graveyard of unreleased features.
